Kaspersky: No whiff of Linux in our OS because we need new start to secure IoT

Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky Lab, says its new KasperskyOS for securing industrial IoT devices does not contain “even the slightest smell of Linux”, differentiating it from many other IoT products that have the open-source OS at the core.
Kaspersky today showed the “first commercially available mass-market hardware” based on its freshly minted KasperskyOS. The kit is a new layer-3 switch from Russian firm Kraftway.
The company has said a completely new OS is needed to protect industrial control systems (ICS) and Internet of Thing (IoT) devices. Kaspersky points to the recent Mirai IoT botnet as evidence that it is the right time for KasperskyOS.
The OS is supposed to cater to applications that need to run on small, optimized and secure platforms, including ICS switches, routers, IP cameras, and IoT controllers.
It’s also designed to be extremely locked down, only allowing programs to execute documented operations within the context of a security policy that the customer defines. The security policy is aimed at offering choices to prevent a variety of IoT devices from being exploited to cause physical harm.